August 20, 1915] 



SCIENCE 



251 



NOTES ON METEOSOLOGY AND CLIMATOL- 

 OGY 



CLIMATIC PROVINCES OP THE PACIFIC COAST 



The primary control of the Pacific coast 

 climates rests with the ocean and the almost 

 continuous westerly winds. Since the ocean 

 has practically the same temperature all along 

 the coast, the north and south temperature 

 gradients on land are gentle. On the other 

 hand, the mountain ranges paralleling the 

 coast bring about sharp transitions in an east- 

 west line — so that in summer one may pass in 

 a few hours from the cold coast to a hot in- 

 terior valley. The ocean, the west wind, and 

 the mountains, thus, make the climatic prov- 

 inces into belts roughly parallel to the coast. 

 These belts may be subdivided on the basis of 

 rainfall, which decreases rapidly from north to 

 south. Mr. W. G. Eeed has ably discussed 

 and mapped such a distribution of climatic 

 provinces in the January, 1915, Bulletin of 

 the American Geographical Society (pp. 1-19, 

 4 figures). The classification in abstract is as 

 follows : 



I. Paciiie Province, marked subtropical winter 

 rains, dry or nearly dry summers. 



1. California District, dry summers, in- 



frequent winter snows. 



a. Southern California Eegion, dry 

 summers 3— i months long, an- 

 nual rainfall less than 20 inches. 



h. Central California Eegion, dry 

 summers 2 months long, annual 

 rainfall 10-30 inches. 



c. Northern California Eegion, an- 



nual rainfall more than 30 

 inches. 



d. Sierra Eegion, annual rainfall 



greater than the central region, 

 much snow. 



e. Tulare Eegion, annual rainfall less 



than 10 inches, largest tempera- 

 ture ranges in this district. 



2. Oregonian District, light cyclonic sum- 



mer rains. 



a. Coast Eegion, heavy annual rain- 

 fall. 



h. Valley Eegion, least annual rain- 

 fall of district. 



c. Cascade Eegion, intermediate rain- 

 fall, more snow than elsewhere 

 in district. 

 II. Eain Shadow Area, large diurnal and an- 

 nual ranges of temperature and gener- 

 ally deficient precipitations. 



3. Great Basin District, high maximum 



temperatures, annual rainfall gen- 

 erally less than 10 inches. 



4. Snake Eiver District, annual rainfall 



10-20 inches, sub-Pacific type of 

 distribution. 



EFFECT OF CLIMATE ON LOCATION OF MANUFAC- 

 TURING PLANTS 



A PAPER on this subject read by Mr. W. M. 

 Booth at a meeting of the American Institute 

 of Chemical Engineers appears in abstract in 

 the Scientific American Supplement for April 

 3, 1915 (p. 219). The principal manufactur- 

 ing belt of the United States is located north 

 of the regions where summer heat interferes 

 much with indoor work, and south of the areas 

 blocked by heavy winter snows and hampered by 

 frozen waterways. Within this belt specific cli- 

 matic conditions may determine the distribu- 

 tion of certain industries. For instance, the 

 manufacture of enameled leather is dependent 

 on sunshine. Atmospheric dryness is an ad- 

 vantage where hygroscopic articles, small steel 

 parts, and other things injured by moisture 

 are manufactured or packed. On the other 

 hand, moist air and equable temperature are 

 desirable for the successful manufacture of 

 linen, cotton, jute and hemp. This accounts 

 for the importance of Fall Eiver, Providence, 

 Lawrence and Lowell as cotton mill centers. 

 Similarly, some of the Pacific Coast cities may 

 become textile centers when labor and mar- 

 kets permit. Adverse climatic conditions may 

 be artificially overcome where other factors 

 make the business sufficiently profitable. 



CLIFF DWELLINGS AND CHANGES IN CLIMATE 



Prom the abundance of abandoned cliff- 

 dweUings in the Navajo Country of the arid 

 southwest, it might be assumed that there was 

 once a rainfall capable of supporting a popula- 



